


Drown Out Your Mind

by DefaltManifesto



Series: 30 Day Song Lyric Challenge [13]
Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Coping, F/F, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Nervousness, Post-War, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 13:57:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13009302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefaltManifesto/pseuds/DefaltManifesto
Summary: The first time Heather notices it, she thinks her ears are playing tricks on her.





	Drown Out Your Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Finally! A happy fic. I had fun writing this and today sucked so it was good. 
> 
> Today's lyric was from Eet by Regina Spektor:
> 
> "You're using your headphones/to drown out your mind"
> 
> Except I'm doing a Fire Emblem challenge (or trying to lol) and I was like: shit how do I make this work in this universe. But I did it! And I hope you all like it. I need to write more of these two cuz they're so damn cute.

The first time Heather notices it, she thinks her ears are playing tricks on her but no, Nephenee is definitely humming as she dances around a blow from an axe and runs her opponent through. Heather watches, so baffled, that it’s only when Lethe tackles her to spare her from an arrow that she jolts out of it.

“Stupid Beorc,” Lethe grunts out before shifting into her cat form and tearing after the archer.

Perhaps she should stop thinking about pretty ladies when battling. Even if they are humming.

 

-.-

 

The second time she notices it, they’re back to back as they face the onslaught of rebellious generals. Heather doesn’t really get where the rebels are coming from. Elincia seems to be just fine as a queen, plus she’s cute, and really monarchs don’t change much for common folk like her and Nephenee. But…Nephenee seems to like her a lot. Heather’s not about to let her beauteous knight fight without her.

Still, the humming is off-putting. It’s not like Nephenee is some psychotic killer, and from their conversations she doesn’t get the impression that Nephenee particularly likes fighting. It’s her admiration for Elincia that drives her.

Heather ducks to avoid a sword swing and then rams her blade into the small opening in the armor. Her opponent chokes and stumbles back and she grins when the man coughs up blood and keels over. Generals were always so confident in their armor. All she needed was a small opening and it was game over, sort of like when she was flirting with stone-faced country girls like-

“Heather!”

Nephenee grabs Heather and steps in front of her, deflecting an arrow with her shield before squaring off with another Halberdier. She’s still humming.

 

-.-

 

“I have a question,” Heather says.

They’re plodding their way back to Ohma with Brom, though the other knight keeps his distance so he stops being embarrassed by Heather’s constant flirting with Nephenee. That suits Heather just fine. It gives her more time to make Nephenee blush and stammer.

“Is it a real question? Last one was just an excuse to call me pretty,” Nephenee says.

“Yup, thief’s honor,” Heather says with a wink.

Nephenee rolls her eyes.

“You always hum when you’re fighting. Why is that?” Heather asks.

Nephenee trips and Heather barely manages to catch her before she plunges headfirst onto the ground. She’s redder than a tomato when she looks at Heather.

“I uh…I ain’t much good at fightin’,” Nephenee mumbles as they start to walk again, accent getting thicker.

“Neph, there would’ve been a hell of a lot more casualties if you hadn’t been on Elincia’s side,” Heather says, amusement leaving her tone. “You’re an amazing fighter, and I’m not just saying that to flirt with you this time.”

“Thank ya kindly for that, but I’m always so scared it’s hard to fight,” Nephenee says. “So I think of my Ma and she uh…use to sing me an’ my siblings these folk songs. I hum them and think of her and it’s easier to fight.”

Heather blinked. She’d been attracted to Nephenee on her appearance, but her personality had made her feel something a little more than that. And now, knowing how soft Nephenee is under all that armor, and yet how determined she is to protect the things that mattered to her regardless, well…she’s in god damned love.

“Heather, why you starin’ at me like that?” Nephenee asks, a touch of nervousness in her voice.

“Just…I’m totally in love with you.”

Nephenee trips again.

 

-.-

 

Heather kisses her a few weeks after returning to Ohma. Nephenee turns bright red but returns the kiss with more enthusiasm than Heather expected.

But then the world decides to go to war.

           

-.-

 

Heather hates fighting, mostly because she’s not all that confident in her skills. She excels in stealth and stealing, not a frontline fight. With Nephenee at her side, it’s not so scary, especially since she started to find Nephenee’s humming of folk songs somewhat invigorating. It reminds her of who she has at her side.

Ike keeps them close together on the battlefield because they work so well together. They’ve found an odd rhythm together. Maybe it’s the music, or maybe it’s because they know each other’s bodies and movements so well, but they duck and weave together in a way that allows them to hold choke points well.

That skill saves them the night they’re ambushed in the middle of nowhere in Begnion. The snow makes the world quiet enough for Heather to hear the clink of armor and the crunch of snow as their enemies approach them under the cover of the trees and darkness. She sends knives flying over Nephenee’s shoulders to slow the advance and Nephenee deals with the ones that have reached them.

Heather listens to the humming and moves with it until they’ve won.

 

-.-

 

Nephenee hums a lot when they’re on the road, when they’re polishing weapons and armor.

“I don’t think I’ll be calm until this is over,” she says.

Heather holds her close and prays for Nephenee to stop humming.

 

-.-

 

If another war never happened again, it would be too soon. Heather doesn’t give a shit about Goddesses, or monarchs, or generals, or whether or not someone’s a Laguz or Branded. She just cares about her mom and her Nephenee.

After the world is saved, she takes Neph to meet her mother, Karla. The woman gets all teary eyed and kisses both of Nephenee’s cheeks and goes off in a ramble about how she never thought any lady would ever get her daughter to settle down. Heather rolls her eyes and tries not to blush. Nephenee eats it all up and doesn’t hide her thick accent as she compliments Karla’s hospitality and cooking.

 

-.-

 

“Something wrong?” Nephenee asks.

She’s stretched out on Heather’s lower half, head resting on Heather’s stomach as she naps and Heather reads. Heather sets her book aside and curls her fingers in Nephenee’s hair.

“No, why?”

“Woke up to you hummin’,” Nephenee says.

Heather smiles and leans down to kiss the top of her head. “No. I’m perfectly happy.”

           


End file.
